Tigers Finish Fifth In NCAC Outdoor Championships

DELAWARE, Ohio - The Wittenberg Tigers performed well at the 2015 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), finishing fifth on the men's side and sixth on the women's side of the Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The final men's standings were led for a fifth straight year by Wabash, which scored a whopping 256.5 points, followed by Ohio Wesleyan with 193. DePauw was next with 80, followed by Oberlin with 66.5 and Wittenberg with 65. The Tigers moved into the fifth spot thanks to a strong finish in the final relay as Wittenberg surpassed Allegheny.

For the women, the host Battling Bishops led the way with 251 points, followed by Oberlin with 133 and Allegheny with 100. Wooster scored 93, with Denison at 85 and Wittenberg at 69 rounding out the top six spots.

Wittenberg picked up one first-place finish and a total of four All-NCAC performances in the men's competition, starting with a 400-meter dash title for senior Justin Yates (Dayton, Ohio/Bellbrook) in a time of 48.06. Junior Laike Wallace (Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington) took second in the 400-meter hurdles and junior Justin Fisher (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) placed third in the triple jump to also claim All-NCAC honors.

The four members of the 4x400-meter relay also earned All-NCAC. Runners in the event included Wallace, Yates, senior Adam Kapuscinski (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) and sophomore Cody Shutt (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson). Also of note was the performance of junior Aaron Melsop (Westerville, Ohio/DeSales), who took fourth place in the an astounding four different events - the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, long jump and triple jump.

The highlight of the entire meet was provided by junior Brea Medlock (Galena, Ohio/Big Walnut), who captured the top spot in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash to secure NCAC Sprinter/Hurdler of the Year honors. Medlock earned the same award at the NCAC Indoor Championships.

Medlock was a lock for the award after running the lead-off leg on a pair of relays that earned All-NCAC honors. The quartet of Medlock, sophomore Frankie Bowsher (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln), freshman Sara Richards (Columbus, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) and sophomore Alaina Longshore (Columbus, Ohio/Franklin Heights) placed second in both the 4x100-meter relay and the 4x400-meter relay.

Bowsher also earned All-NCAC after finishing third in the 400-meter dash. In addition, junior Jordan Crow (North Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) placed third in the 400-meter hurdles and junior Becah Delp (York, Pa./Eastern York) rounded out the all-conference performers with a second-place finish in the high jump.

Written By: Ryan Maurer